Try: Pedialyte. If your dog suffers from mild dehydration—signs include a dry mouth, panting, and a loss of skin elasticity—pour Pedialyte into his water bowl to quickly replace electrolytes. Drinking water will replace most electrolytes, but drinking this solution, formulated for babies, quickly replaces minerals like potassium and sodium.

To get burs out of fur:

Try: Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening. To remove burs from your dog's coat, wear work gloves (to avoid getting pricked by the burs), work a dab of Crisco into the affected areas, and pry the burs lose. Shampoo your dog to remove the vegetable shortening.

To curb chewing:

Try: BENGAY. To train your dog to stop chewing on a specific object, coat the object with a dab of BENGAY. The smell will repel him.

Try: Dawn Dishwashing Liquid. To kill fleas on dogs without using toxic chemicals, add a small amount of Dawn dishwashing liquid under running water to fill a sink or bathtub and give your dog a bath in the soapy solution. Work the lather into your pet's coat and let it soak for more than 5 minutes. The soap penetrates the exoskeletons of fleas, killing them, and works more effectively than some prescribed flea shampoos.

To prevent ear infections:

Try: Johnson's Baby Oil. Too much water in your dog's ears can lead to painful earaches, so before giving him a bath, place a cotton ball moistened with Johnson's Baby Oil in each of your pet's ears to keep out water. Just be sure to remove the cotton balls afterward.

To keep food bowls clean:

Try: PAM Cooking Spray. To prevent leftover bits and pieces of moist pet food from sticking to the bottom of your dog's food bowl, give the inside of the bowl a light coat of PAM Cooking Spray before filling the bowl with pet food. The vegetable oil will prevent the food from adhering to the bowl—and the oil gives your pet's coat a nice shine.

Oof. Can you imagine what it would feel like to walk around on those salty + snowy sidewalks in the winter? Protect your pup’s paws from chapping and cracking by applying a bit of Vaseline to them before you go out each time. After your walk, you can just rinse the paws in warm water to get rid of any salt or chemicals your four-legged ruv might’ve picked up. (Info from ASPCA.)

If your pet has gotten into something poisonous like chocolate or raisins, use hydrogen peroxide to induce vomiting. Give one teaspoon per five pounds of body weight. This can save your dog’s life if done quickly. For peace of mind, you can always check in with your local vet or call the folks at BarkCare. (Info source: Lifehacker, Photo source.)

Use a dryer sheet to get rid of static electricity in your pup’s coat during thunderstorms.

When a thunderstorm rolls in, it is likely that your pup is more afraid of the weird static building up in his/her coat vs. the loud thunders and bright lightnings. Take a dryer sheet to remove the static from your dog’s coat and give them lots of cuddles to calm down. : ) (Info source, Image source.)

Diarrhea? Use ze old chicken and rice combo.

If your pup’s poo is not lookin’ so great, you can put your dog on a diet of chicken and rice for a couple days until it calms down. If your pup has an upset tummy, pull all food and water for 12 hours to see if it calms down. If you’ve got a puppy who’s vomiting, call BarkCare or your local vet right away because puppies can become dehydrated very quickly. (Info source, image source.)

Benadryl + baking soda paste helps with bee stings.

If your pup gets stung by a bee, you can remove the stinger by scraping it with a credit card. Then, apply a paste of baking soda to the area as a poultice. If you pup shows signs of an allergic reaction, call the folks at BarkCare to check the symptoms before giving a dosage of Benadryl. (Info source, image source.)

Put a ball in your dog’s food bowl if he or she eats too fast.

If you’ve got a supper gobbler, just put a ball in your pup’s dinner! They’ll have to move around the ball when they eat and it will make them a little slower. (Info and image source.)

If your dog has an active flea infestation, wash him in Dawn to kill the adult fleas on him. Then proceed with your flea treatment.

Sock Bottle Toy

Take an empty plastic bottle, stick in an old sock and tie the end. Instant crinkle toy on the cheap.

Diaper Bags do Double Duty

Diaper bags are often less expensive than doggy bags and if you already have a baby, than it’s one less thing on your grocery list.

Baby Powder for Mats

If your dog had bad mats, sprinkle baby powder in them. It will help loosen it so you can brush it out. Bonus, your dog will smell nice!

Giant Carabiner for Walking

Use one of these giant carabiner to hold multiple leashes at the same time, while giving your dog’s more freedom than a couple allows. Plus the handle is soft and easy to hold.

Pill Giving Made Easy

Save time by making a dozen doses of your dog’s medicine all at once. Put a small amount of peanut butter in an ice cube tray. Put your dog’s pill(s) in it, and cover with more peanut butter. Freeze. Label each one with a stick with the day on it, that way everyone will know if the dog already had his meds. If your dog doesn’t like peanut butter, try organic, no sugar added applesauce!

Pillowcase Bed Covers

Use pillowcases to cover your dog’s beds and mats, that way you can just slip the case off and wash it.

Excerpted from

Great Life Hacks for Your Dog, 4th edition

DIY food-stuffed tennis ball chew toy

You can create your own food-stuffed dog chew to keep your little guy busy and anxiety-free while you're at work by carefully cutting a 1- to 1-1/2-inch hole in an old tennis ball. Then just fill the ball with everything from dog treats to peanut butter and cheese.

Carabiner security

A carabiner is a metal clamp with a spring-loaded gate used by mountain climbers and in other safety systems to quickly but securely get a firm hold. Put the carabiner around the loop of your dog's leash when you go out, and you can easily secure it to any stationary object. You can also use it to connect multiple leashes to walk all your dogs at once.

Couch dog-hair grabber

Wet a rubber or latex glove, and use it to pick up the dog hair left on upholstery.

Semi-destructible stuffed toy

If your fur baby has a habit of ripping apart stuffed animals, use a Hol-ee Roller Ball stuffed with a treat surrounded by scraps of fabric. Your dog will spend all day yanking out the fabric to get to the treat, and you can just re-stuff it for next time, and your only extra expense is dog treats.

Shower-caddy storage

Shower caddies aren't just for the shower. Hang one in the closet or garage, and you can store extra dog treats, care products and more in the shelves and hang leashes, harnesses and rain gear on the pegs.

Home-made Pill Pockets

If you have one of those dogs that turns its nose up at vital medicine, trick it with a homemade pill pocket. Just mix peanut butter, milk and flour and roll it into balls, stabbing them with the blunt end of a chopstick to create the pockets. Store them in the fridge or freezer. I like to use crunchy peanut butter because my dog is less likely to detect the pill. If you're worried your pup will get suspicious that it suffers certain side effects each time, you can just use them as regular treats sometimes, too.

DIY flea and tick removers

Ticks are easier to remove if you dab them with a swab soaked in liquid dish soap. For fleas, mix one part each of Dawn and vinegar with four parts of warm water. Massage it in; let your dog sit in water for about five minutes. The fleas should float to the top of the water and die.